Demonic Days
by Lord Stanley
Summary: Kumo kidnapped Naruto during the treaty signing. Two Jinchuuriki are at their disposal. Will Kumo become the next great power amongst the Shinobi nations, or will their weapons fail them? After all...who can trust a demon? Abandoned
1. The Welcome Party

**Demonic Days  
**_By Wild Thing8_

Summary: Kumo kidnapped Naruto during the treaty signing. Two jinchuriki are a their dipsosal. Will Kumo become the next great power among the Shinobi nations, or will their weapons fail them? After all...who can trust a demon?

Rating: M for violence, gore, horror, and language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

_**Chapter One:**__ The Welcome Party_

* * *

"Isamu…Hideki…Are your squads in position?" crackled a voice over the COM link.

"Affirmative, Raikage-sama," another, deeper voice answered.

"Yes, Raikage-sama," came another through the link. This voice belonged to Shisha Hideki. ANBU Captain of the third squad of Kumo.

Hideki had been a ninja since the age of eight. Not that he had a choice in the matter… His parents had been killed on missions a few years prior, and with the Shinobi Wars being waged, Kuro needed all ninja that they could get their hands on.

Hideki rose through the ranks quickly, receiving first the title of Chuunin, then Jounin, and finally being inducted into the ANBU Corps. It was not until near the end of the wars that he became an ANBU Captain.

He was anything but perfect for the job. He had been demoted once already for bribing a man to steal one of Kumo's Forbidden Scrolls. Greed had never been his most attractive trait…

But it had been his most easily exploited as the Raikage had soon found out. And that was the one reason he had not been executed.

The Byakugan. The eyes that allowed nearly three hundred and sixty degree vision. He wanted them… Badly…

That was the reason he was here right now, standing hidden in a tree outside of the Hidden Village of the Leaf. He had been squatting on the same branch for over four hours, waiting patiently for the celebration over the treaty signing to end.

"Commence your missions," the Raikage commanded.

"Understood," answered the two captains simultaneously.

Hideki hit a switch on his COM, changing the channel to that of his squad.

"Takana, do you have a visual on the boy?" Hideki asked into his microphone.

There was a short pause before an answer came. "Yes, Hideki-teichou," the feminine voice told Hideki.

"Good," Hideki replied. "Yaji and Denkyubi, are you in position?"

"Yes teichou," grunted a voice.

"Correct shishou," answered another, slightly higher-pitched voice.

Hideki smiled behind his eagle-looking, ANBU mask. In the near future he would be getting the _eyes._ That was the deal he had with the Raikage. He captured a brat going under the name of Uzumaki Naruto, and he got his own, fully patented, set of Byakugan eyes.

"Ryaki?" he asked into his COM.

"Ready."

Hideki took a deep breath, squashing the feeling of giddiness that was rising within him. His fingers shook with excitement as he ran full speed through the forests surrounding Konohagakure.

"Commence with the mission!"

----------xXx----------

"More ramen, old man!" shouted blond-haired Uzumaki Naruto from his seat in Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"Yea, Yea, Naruto. Coming right up," called Ichiraku Teuchi from the back of the stand.

A couple of minutes later, Ayame, Teuchi's daughter, set a bowl of steaming miso ramen in front of Naruto.

"Eat up Naruto-kun," Ayame told Naruto, who was already slurping down his ramen.

He looked up from his meal. "Eh? You say something, Ayame-neechan?"

Ayame berated herself mentally for talking to the boy while he ate. She had learned long ago that he didn't pay the slightest attention to anyone while he was eating. Sighing, she shook her head.

"No, Naruto-kun. Just enjoy you're meal."

"Right!" Naruto shouted, before digging back in once more.

As Naruto continued to inhale the noodles, a woman watched him from atop a building not far from Ichiraku's. Her name was Orichi Takana, ANBU member of Kumogakure.

She wore a mask, painted like a cat, over her face, and a standard issue ANBU katana was hidden under the midnight blue cloak she wore. Long, dark-blue hair could be seen under her hood. An uncommon color amongst humans as it so happened…

Raising her gloved hands, she made a hand seal, all the while whispering in a foreign language. As she whispered, a blue glow announced the presence of chakra around her hands.

The chakra started to spark, as if it was electricity, while she continued her exotic chant. By the end of her whisperings, her hands were surrounded not by chakra, but by electricity. The eerie crackle of it could not be heard over the din of a noon-time Konoha market.

Takana waited as Naruto finished off his third bowl of ramen. From what she had observed during her short time in the Leaf Village, the boy would have one more bowl before heading off to his apartment. After he got there he would grab the few throwing weapons that he owned and head off for the training grounds.

When he was in his apartment was the time she would make her move. "Take him alive" had been her orders, and those were the orders she was going to follow. She would put him into a shock induced coma that would last a minimum of three to five hours, and a maximum of ten to twenty days. It all depended on how good of a body and mind he had.

There was always the little snag in the mission that she might be caught; however, that was what she had the buffoons Yaji and Dekyubi for. The twins might be a pair of fat asses that didn't do anything but eat, train, and have sex with prisoners of war, but they still knew how to put up a nasty genjutsu. With them double layering the area with illusion jutsus, there was a very slim chance of her being found out.

Takana hopped to another roof as the blond kid started to run to his home. Why they were assigned to capture the brat was beyond her. She could see nothing special about the boy. He was loud, stupid, in love with ramen, wore _orange_ of all colors, and he was like six fucking years old.

_The glories of the ANBU_, though Takana dryly. She had never thought when she entered ANBU that she would be capturing a kid. After all, weren't ANBU the elite of the elite?

Takana came to a stop when she saw that the boy had arrived outside his apartment door. She watched as he fumbled in his pocket for his keys. A couple of seconds passed by before his hand emerged victoriously from his pocket, clutching a single, rusty key.

"Set up the illusion," she whispered into her microphone.

She received no answer from her two partners, but after waiting a few seconds the Uzumaki boy disappeared from her vision. He returned after another brief pause in which she removed the genjutsu from herself.

_Let's go brat. I don't have all day. _

Naruto opened the door and walked into his apartment. The door shut, and Takana was no longer on the roof…

----------xXx----------

Grey-blue eyes followed Naruto as the kid hopped around his two room apartment. Any sound the owner of eyes made was masked by the annoying humming of the blond. Not that the owner made any sound.

Ryaki was a professional, she didn't make noise.

Though professional or not, she was itching to get out of this damn building. One can endure the smell of ramen for only so long after all.

She cracked her neck, trying to get the stiffness out of it. She had been positioned here since five in the morning. She had watched the boy wake up, eat a breakfast consisting of old milk and cereal, and leave. And still she had waited…

The kid had returned a few hours later.

Ryaki had watched relentlessly as the kid ate his lunch of instant ramen. She continued while the kid did a few sit-ups and pushups. That had been the most amusing part of her extremely dull day. Hell, how could watching a kid trying to do fifteen pushups when you yourself could do at least fifteen hundred _not_ be funny?

But then the kid had left again, and she had waited…and waited…and waited. And after what had seemed like days, they had finally got the go-ahead from the Raikage.

She was glad too. Sitting and waiting had not been in the job description when she signed her name on the ANBU contract at his initiation. She was an assassin, plain and simply. Her line of work consisted of sliding a kunai across a person's jugular, or throwing a senbon needle into one of somebody's vital points. It took all of about ten minutes to find her target, set up an escape route for himself, and kill the guy or gal.

_And here comes the cavalry_, she thought irately, watching Takana drop down from the ceiling.

Ryaki's eyes tracked the blue-haired woman as she crept across the room to the boy, her hands crackling as the lightning darted around them. Her hands reached for the boys temples and tapped him lightly with her index and middle fingers.

The brat didn't have a chance. He dropped like a fly when the electricity jolted through his brain.

Ryaki clapped her hands sarcastically as she stood up from her crouched position behind partly broken couch.

"Congratulations," she said with a smirk on her face, "you just took down a six year old."

Takana scowled underneath her mask when she heard her squad mate. She picked up the blond kid and tossed him to her wolf-masked companion.

"Just do your part," she told her calmly.

"I got it sweetheart, don't worry," Ryaki replied, walking toward the door with Naruto slung over her shoulder.

Ryaki opened the door and with one last wave over her shoulder she was gone.

That was the last time she would ever see Takana or the twins.

----------xXx----------

"Raikage-sama, we have the boy," Hideki stated into his COM link.

A brief pause ensued in which Hideki used to observe the kid Ryaki had just arrived with. Spiky, blond hair, whisker marks, and bright-blue eyes. He certainly had an odd assortment of physical features. Other than that, however, he didn't see anything special about the boy. The only thing that remotely stood out were his whisker marks and larger than average canine teeth.

Maybe some sort of bloodline?

But the Raikage wasn't interested in the type of bloodline that fangs and whiskers would provide. The only thing he wanted now was the Byakugan.

His thoughts were interrupted when the Raikage's command came over the COM.

"Excellent. Proceed to the Village."

Hideki frowned. "What about my squad…"

"They will arrive in their own do time," the Raikage interrupted. "We need to get the boy and girl away from Konoha as quickly as is possible."

"Yes, Raikage-sama," Hideki answered reluctantly.

Shutting off his COM link, Hideki looked at Ryaki and the boy.

"We're leaving," he said stiffly, standing up from his seat at the base of a large Oak tree.

"But the others?" Ryaki questioned.

"We're leaving," Hideki repeated a bit more forcefully this time.

With that he jumped into the tree branches and started running full speed in the direction of Kumo. He vaguely registered the sound of Ryaki hopping into the trees, and sprinting along side him.

For the first time during this mission, Hideki felt fear. The odd thing about this was that it was not fear of his enemy, but fear of his leader.

What had caused the Raikage to make him abandon his squad? This was the second time he had questioned his leader's actions. The first being that the Raikage had not had him capture the Hyuuga girl.

Something was wrong about all of this. He could feel it.

Shaking off the feeling of foreboding, Hideki focused on regulating the chakra flow in his legs. He had four days of all out sprinting until he reached Kumo. It would not do for him to burn out before they got there.

----------xXx----------

A thud echoed around the large chamber, breaking the delicate silence that had once permeated the room.

The afore mentioned room was indeed a luxurious one. Marble pillars were scattered around the room, supporting the dark ceiling. Cushioned seats littered the floor by the dozens. Few of them were actually occupied, but that did not subtract from the importance that the chairs seemed to add to the room. On top of a raised section of floor was a larger chair. A throne as some may call it. A polished, wooden desk sat in front of this throne, littered with pens, paper, and other various trinkets.

The man sitting in the throne, along with the few people that were present in the chamber turned their heads toward the source of the sound. A small child lay on the ground in front of two ANBU, one wearing the yellow captain's band around his right shoulder.

There was a moments silence as the people present digested the sight. Then the man at the throne walked down from his 'pedestal.' His dark yellow and black robes dragged across the steps as he slowly walked toward the trio standing in the entrance to his _office_, as it was officially called.

When he reached them, he bent down to get a better look at the child. Blond hair and whisker marks on his face.

"Perfect," the man breathed as his fingers traced the lines on the boys face, one by one.

"Kashiko?" the man called out.

There was a rustle of clothing as a large man stood up from one of the chairs.

"Right here, Raikage-sama," the man answered.

"Take the boy to our other guest's _room_," the now identified Raikage commanded the man. "Put him on one of the surgery tables I think. Dokado should be finished with the girl by now."

"Of course, Raikage-sama. Right away."

With that, the man picked up Naruto, carrying him away toward a back door behind the Raikage's desk.

"Ryaki-san," the Raikage said as he started to walk to yet another back door. "You remember your job, correct?

Ryaki smirked behind her mask. Yes, of course she remembered her job. She had longed for this day ever since being placed on Shisha Hideki's ANBU squad.

"Very much so, Raikage-sama," she answered, masking the emotion in her voice as much as she could.

The Raikage stopped with his hand on one of the door handles. He stayed like that a minute and everything was silent.

"Then complete it."

Then he was through the door and out of sight. And once again silence reigned for all of about two seconds.

A sickening squelch was heard, then a thud. Five seconds later another thud, louder this time, filled the large room. No one looked up from their work. No one had to. They knew what had happened.

Shisha Hideki was dead…

"Pity," muttered Ryaki in mock disappointment as she cleaned his bloody dagger on the headless body of his former captain. "I had hoped he would have put up more of a fight."

Sheathing his dagger, Ryaki picked up Hideki's head. She pulled off the eagle mask and stared into the man's lifeless brown eyes. No shock was shown on those eyes. No fear or contempt.

_Teichou, what a fool you were._

----------xXx----------

The clinking of metal tools being moved around drowned out the groan that came from a young, blond boy. More metallic noise joined the original when said boy started struggle in his chains. Chains that bound him to a blood, urine, and puke stained table.

The terrible smell that the combined bodily fluids produced awakened the small boy quickly. The boy, Naruto, opened and closed his eyes, trying to adjust them to the bright light shining in his face.

"I see you're awake now."

The voice startled Naruto, and he struggled in his chains to get a look at the owner of the voice.

"I suggest you stop moving," the voice told Naruto. A man's voice Naruto decided.

Naruto didn't stop, of course. No one told Uzumaki Naruto what to do. Who the hell did that guy think he was?

The voice laughed. "I told you not to move," it said.

Naruto stopped wrestling with his bindings when he felt someone grab one of the chains that held him to the table.

"Hey! What are you…"

An unholy scream erupted from Naruto's throat as electricity passed through the man's hand to the chains. Chains which were connected to Naruto... The electricity continued, unceasingly, for about ten seconds, until the man let go of the chain.

A smile made its way to the man's face as he looked down at the child that lay before him. The skin and clothing that had been touched by chains was either charred or burned completely off the kid. The boy himself was left twitching uncontrollably in his bindings. The smell of burnt flesh was added to the already putrid stench of the table.

"Didn't I tell you to stay still?" the man asked, laughing at the sight of the small kid.

Naruto gave a moan in answer to the man's question.

"Not very talkative now is he," the man muttered to himself as he walked toward the tray of metal instruments. Looking down at them, he tried to decide which one to start with.

"Hmm...What should we start with? Do you have any preference boy? Hair or eyes?" the man asked, turning his head back to the still twitching Naruto.

Of course, Naruto being in the pain that he was gave no answer.

"Alright then, I guess we'll start with the eyes," he informed Naruto, picking up a scalpel from his tray. Sure he could have used a chakra scalpel and caused a lot less pain to the boy, but where was the fun in that?

Footsteps echoed around the room as the man approached Naruto once again. Naruto tensed up as he felt the man walk by his head. But, instead of stopping by Naruto, the man kept walking until he reached a shelf. He started to survey the shelf, muttering to himself as he did so.

"Hmm…Where did that bastard brother of mine put them?" he asked himself, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Ah! Here they are!"

The man picked up a crystal jar from the shelf and headed back over to Naruto. The man placed the jar on a small work table that sat next to the larger one that Naruto was bound too. He took the lid off and set it down next to the jar.

Apparently certain that everything was in place, the man picked up the scalpel again and moved it above Naruto's left eye. Naruto tried to wiggle away from the scalpel, but only succeeded in causing himself more pain as the chains dug into his burnt skin. Tears streamed from Naruto's eyes as he realized just how helpless he was.

"Great idea!" the man cheered happily, seeing Naruto's tears. "Less friction this way. Why didn't I think of that?"

He raised the scalpel again only to pull it back once again. The man adopted a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I'm pretty sure this will hurt a little. Though, I wouldn't be the best person to ask. I usually use chakra scalpels for this sort of thing."

Not wanting to waste any more time, the man dug the scalpel into Naruto's left eyes and pried on it. With a sickening squelch, the eye popped out of the boy's socket. It rested on

Naruto's cheek still connected to the eye socket by its nerve fibers.

Naruto's screams of pain echoed throughout the small room. He struggled against his bindings, unconsciously giving himself more pain as the metal dug into his charred and burnt skin.

The man chuckled for the whole duration of the screams. A sadistic smile plastered across his face as he watched the child struggle. The Raikage had told him not to harm the kid too much, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a little bit of fun.

The screams died down slightly, and the man took this as his opportunity to continue the surgery. He used the scalpel to cut the boy's eye from his nerve fibers, setting Naruto off into another bout of screams.

Ignoring them this time, the man made a vertical cut through the center of Naruto's eye, and a horizontal cut. He checked over his work to make sure that it was all done correctly. After a few moments, the man was apparently happy with his job. He set down his scalpel and enjoyed a few moments of Naruto's crying.

As he waited, he noticed that the incisions that he had made around the eye were starting to close up.

_Hmm…Must be the demon's healing abilities that I have heard about. Interesting that it carried over to the boy, _the man thought as he grabbed his scalpel.

Once again he made the incisions around the eye. No screams of agony came from Naruto this time, seeing as the kid had passed out from the amount of pain he had been submitted to.

The man stuck his hand into the jar and pulled an eye out of it. A pupil-less, lavender eye if one wanted to be detailed.

The Byakugan.

The man muttered to himself as he slowly fit the eye into Naruto's socket.

"I still think it is terribly stupid to give a demon such a valuable bloodline."

He did not use any medical jutsu while he fit the eye in. Not because he wanted to cause Naruto more pain, but because he figured that the healing ability would fix the eye into place.

It was the last mistake he ever made…

----------xXx---------

The Raikage looked up as he heard knock at his office door.

"Name?" he called.

"Ryaki," was his muffled answer.

"Enter," he said, turning his attention back to the letter on his desk.

The door opened with a creak, and Ryaki walked into the room. Her ANBU mask was attached to her belt. Her light blue hair hung to around her shoulders and a flower-like hair clip kept it from falling over her face.

Said face wasn't the most beautiful in the world, but she was still fairly good looking. As a ninja she didn't spend very much of her time on making herself look good. Missions usually didn't leave much free time.

Her hair and flower clip were not the only odd things about her. Her eyes were…strange to say the least. The whites of her eyes were not white, but an off grey color and her pupils were the color of blood.

This was rather fitting, considering what her bloodline was.

The Raikage eyed the accessory with distaste. "I will never understand why you where that thing."

Ryaki chuckled as she sat herself down in the seat opposite the Raikage. She leaned back in the chair, putting her hands behind her head.

"Family heirloom," she said simply, staring at the ceiling. "The girl arrived without any hindrance?"

The Raikage smirked. "Yes. Although Isamu's squad nearly botched the entire mission. One of his men ran into Hyuuga Hiashi when he was escaping with the girl."

Ryaki nodded slightly, still staring at the ceiling.

"I've taken you off ANBU duty," the Raikage continued, finally gaining Ryaki's full attention.

"You're allowing me to go solo?" she asked, raising one of her eyebrows.

"No," the Raikage said in answer to her question, "I am giving the duty to train the jinchuriki."

Ryaki's eyes narrowed when she heard this.

"I'm not a trainer," she snarled angrily.

"I am completely aware of that," the Raikage informed the woman. "You are not the only one that will be training them. This is not up for discussion. You will do what your leader tells you to do. Understood?"

Ryaki's glare did not lessen as she nodded her head.

"Excellent. Here is the information we have compiled on both of them," he said, handing Ryaki two folders. "As you can see, we have much more information on Nii Yugito than Uzumaki Naruto, but that is to be expected."

Ryaki took that folders and began to flip through them, starting with Nii's. The folder contained such things as physical identification, former family members, likes and dislikes, and ability. Most of the ability section was left blank. Apparently she and the other trainers would need to fill that out once they got that far.

She set down Nii's folder and picked up Uzumaki's. She opened to the first page and continued to run through the pages until something caught her eye.

"You're giving the brat the Byakugan?" she asked incredulously. "Do you even know what will happen if you give a jinchuriki a bloodline? And what happened to breeding the Byakugan?"

The Raikage raised an eyebrow at Ryaki's questions. "I decided that the Byakugan would be more beneficial if we gave it to the demon-boy. If all goes as planned, we could possibly have the most powerful shinobi in the world."

Ryaki stared at the Raikage for a moment. That was a lot of _if_s. Something could go wrong with the eye transplantation, or he could turn out to be a completely useless nin. There was also the possibility that he wouldn't be able to learn how to control the demon's chakra.

"I don't know," Ryaki said tiredly, once again leaning back in her chair. "It seems like there are a lot of things that could go wrong with this. Why not just breed the Byakugan? Then you have a clan with the bloodline, plus you'll still have the boy."

Shaking his head, the Raikage answered her questions. "Even if I wanted to change my mind and breed the Byakugan, I couldn't now. The Hyuuga girl is dead. Something went wrong with the operation, and her brain was damaged in the process. She passed away shortly before your arrival. The man who performed the operation has been punished appropriately."

"It seems like a total waste to steal the Byakugan then," Ryaki stated, shaking her head slightly.

"I thought of that," the Raikage informed the woman. "I am hoping that with the Kyuubi's healing ability the eyes will actually become part of the boy. Not just some transplantation job like Copy Ninja Kakashi."

Ryaki smirked, "And if that's the case, his offspring will most likely have the Byakugan. Brilliant."

_I still think there are too many things that could go wrong,_ she thought, gazing down at the picture of Uzumaki Naruto.

She would soon find out just how right she had been.

----------xXx----------

"Hmm…The eyes seem to be in place," muttered the man who was currently replacing Naruto's eyes. "Now for the hair. We can't have anyone recognizing you can we?"

The man chuckled as he walked over to one of the rooms many shelves. As he searched through the many bottles of dye that littered a particular shelf, Naruto's newly acquired eyes were doing something…strange.

Naruto had just become conscious again. He did not make any sounds of pain. He did not make any sound at all for that matter. He just lay there, staring at the ceiling as his eyes slowly changed. Starting at the edges of his eyes, the lavender of the Byakugan slowly started to turn crimson. The crimson continued to invade the pupil-less eyes until it had completely contaminated him.

Naruto smirked as his body started to change. His whisker marks became more defined, almost looking as if they were real. His finger nails grew in length as did his canine teeth. Naruto's ears elongated, and their tips grew pointier in mere seconds. A red chakra started to flow from his body, ever so slowly morphing into the shape of a fox.

Then all hell broke loose.

The man spun around quickly as he heard something snap. What he saw caused him to drop the vile that he was holding in his hand. He ignored the shattered glass that flew everywhere when the vile hit the floor. Silver dye went unnoticed as it seeped into his white medical boots, staining the expensive material that they were made of.

The blond boy had ripped off one of his chains and was in the process of ripping off another. When he had successfully freed himself from that binding, he started with the others.

"Impossible," the man muttered fearfully, unable to tear his eyes off the sight in front of him.

_That chakra_, the man thought to himself, _It almost feels like the Nibi's._

While the man stood, frozen in place by his fear and fascination, Naruto had successfully removed all of his bindings.

The boy crawled around on the table to look at the man who had caused him so much pain. A growl erupted from his throat as he jumped off the table and started to inch his way toward the man. He moved on all fours like an animal.

This spurred the man into action. He frantically turned and ran for the door. Valuable body parts and medical samples were destroyed as he knocked into the shelves in his haste to get out of the room.

However, he never reached the door. Claws tore into his back, shredding both skin and clothing.

He yelled out in pain, trying frantically to reach the door. All to no avail.

Fangs sunk into his neck, and he ripped the flesh off the man's neck with ease. Naruto spat it out onto the ground and returned to his former _surgeon._

But it was not Naruto that was doing these things. No…Naruto had lost control over his body as soon as the Byakugan had been made part of his body.

The Kyuubi had found a way of escape, relatively speaking. And no demon would ignore such means of escape, no matter how small an escape the eyes gave him. What had been intended as means of power for Naruto had just turned into an outlet to the outside world for Kyuubi.

'Naruto' swiped one of his clawed hands across the man's throat, ripping through his windpipe. The man gurgled for a few moments before falling silent. The now dead man was discarded as Naruto made his way toward the door.

He turned the handle on the door, and a feral grin passed on his face when he found that it was not locked. His fangs glistened with blood, looking extremely out of place on the six-year-old boy.

Opening the door, he crawled on all fours out into the hallway.

The real Naruto watched on in horror in his mind as his body massacred the man. Unbidden thoughts raced through his head as he fought for control of his body.

_Let's see what other mortals want to die today, hmm._

* * *

**Author Notes:**

New fic idea that I came up with recently. I posted this on A Demon's Desire to get some suggestions on what to improve. Thanks to all over there that helped. A link to the site can be found in my profile.

To all those that are iffy about the Byakugan part. Naruto has the Byakuga, yes. But he does not have its abilities. Some of you may have already figured out what his does. Congradulations.

This story will be my main focus for a while. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Hope you like it, and I'd appreciate it if you took the time to review. Thanks.


	2. A Deal

**Demonic Days  
**_By: Wild Thing8_

Summary: Kumo kidnapped Naruto during the treaty signing. Two jinchuriki are a their dipsosal. Will Kumo become the next great power among the Shinobi nations, or will their weapons fail them? After all...who can trust a demon?

Rating: M for violence, gore, horror, and language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

* * *

**Chapter Two:** _A Deal

* * *

_  
The Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, Sarutobi, rubbed his hands over his face wearily. For the past five days he had not been able get more than a couple hours of sleep a night do to the things that were currently going on in the village.

Namely the kidnapping of Hyuuga Hinata and Uzumaki Naruto.

Taking a sip from the glass of water on his desk, Sarutobi continued to leaf through the interrogation report on his desk.

Three unidentified ninja had been found at the site of Uzumaki Naruto's apartment. For the past seventy-two hours Ibiki and Konoha's other top interrogators were attempting to find out what village the three had come from. The first forty-eight hours had been spent forcing their mission out of them and finding out any unique skills that they possessed.

The three ANBU, if the masks and equipment they wore were anything to go by, had apparently been informed of the mission only a day ahead of their departure time. No information had been given to them other than pictures of the targets, location of their homes, and common places they were known to visit.

All in all it seemed like a typical ANBU briefing. An ANBU did not need much information to complete a mission. They were the elite of any shinobi village after all.

Which led to Sarutobi's current confusion.

ANBU did not go down easily, and even when they did go down it was usually down for life, not down temporarily. These three ANBU had fallen asleep. No toxins had been found in their blood stream. No excess chakra had been found in the air which would have indicated a jutsu of some type. The only possibility would have been faked death, but there were no injuries to any of the three.

Despite what some of the council members may like to think, he was not a stupid man. It seemed that his old age fooled many into thinking that he was not fit for the job of Hokage any longer. They seemed to have forgotten that almost half of the council was around the same age, if not older, than he was.

He knew that this was a set up of some sort. Whatever village was behind the kidnapping had not had not planned out everything well enough.

Only two major villages had ANBU squads that traveled in pairs of three. The Sand and the Mist. Neither of their squads consisted of two genjutsu users and a ninjutsu. Of course, the report he was reading could be wrong about the captives skills, but the evidence used to support that data was good enough for him to put his trust into it.

Suna was currently neutral toward Konoha, and Kiri had still not recovered from the death of their Daimyo and the failed coups that Momochi Zabuza and the other Seven Swordsmen of the Mist had led. No…It wasn't Suna or Kiri.

That left one option in his mind. The Cloud. The village that they had apparently ended conflict with by signing the treaty a few days back. However, he needed to be positive before he made any accusations.

He took another sip of water as he started to skim through the report once again, stopping as he reached the page that listed the items carried on the three ANBU.

Standard issue ANBU katana; ANBU armor and cloak; ANBU masks; projectile weapons; shinobi gloves with padded palms…

Sarutobi's eyes visibly widened as he reread that last item. He remembered ninja that wore that type of glove. Dead ninja that he had searched for plans or any type of information regarding the moves that would be made against Konoha. Moves that would be made by the Hidden Village of the Rock. The gloves apparently reduced the stress and pain that some of their earth jutsu caused their hands.

_If Naruto-kun and Hinata-san are in Iwagakue… This could be extremely bad,_ the Hokage thought. The Rock had held resent toward the Leaf ever since the Third Ninja War.

Resent that had yet to be acted upon.

With good reason too. Though the Rock may be a strong shinobi village they were no match for the ninja force of the Leaf.

_But with a Jinchuuriki and the Byakugan they might be strong enough in the next couple of decades. _

The Hokage stood swiftly and headed for the rooms door. Opening it, he walked out and made his way over to his secretary's desk. Reaching it, he coughed to get the woman's attention.

The black-haired woman looked up from the magazine she had been looking through.

"Oh. I didn't see you there, Hokage-sama. Is there something you need?" she asked, not bothering to hide the boredom that her face and voice portrayed.

"Yes actually. I need you to contact Koharu, Homura, and Danzou for me," the Hokage told the woman.

"Koharu…Homura…Danzou," the dark-haired woman spoke, writing the names down as she said them. "Anything else?"

"Ah yes. How is Hyuuga Hiashi's condition? Has there been an update sent here yet?"

The woman nodded, pulling out a piece of paper from one the desk's many drawers.

"It just arrived," she said, handing him the sheet, "He's out of critical condition, but they will need to keep him for a while to heal his less threatening injuries."

The Hokage smiled at the woman before turning to head back to his office. He was stopped, however, as the woman called out to him.

"Wait, Hokage-sama! There was a Hunter-nin that came by earlier today. He said that he had a bounty that he needed the Hokage to see."

Sarutobi walked back to the desk and took the metal box that the woman was holding out for him. He took it from her and thanked her before heading back to his office once again.

He set the box on his desk before taking a seat in his chair. Holding out his hand, Sarutobi started to channel chakra out of his palm and toward the box. His chakra washed over the metal container, searching for anything hostile that might be found in it. His search came up with nothing.

Satisfied that the box was safe, Sarutobi started to move his papers away from the box. He knew how bloody some bounties ended getting, and he had no intention of getting blood all over his interrogation report.

Sarutobi flipped the latch holding the lid shut and opened the box.

The sight he was met with was enough to make Sarutobi light-headed.

Hyuuga Hinata's head lay in pool of blood at the bottom of the box. Her blue hair was matted with blood, and her face was covered in small cuts. The worst thing, however, was her eyes. Or where her eyes used to be.

It looked as though her eyes had been surgically removed. Deep incisions had been made in the corners of her sockets, allowing for the eyes to be more easily removed.

Sarutobi fell back into the chair, his eyes closed as if it would get rid of the head that lay on his desk. He opened his eyes and stared out of the window at the Hokage Monument.

_Maybe I am getting to old for this job._

----------xXx----------

Ryaki looked around the reception room of the Kumo hospital. Blood was everywhere, staining furniture and people alike. The lifeless bodies of unfortunate citizens were scattered around the room.

She turned her attention to the blond-haired boy that was currently being dragged out of the room by two ANBU trainees. He was limp in their arms as he was pulled through the sea of bloodied bodies.

It had been almost funny how easy it was to disable the kid. The only reason he had caused so much havoc was the location he was in. Not many citizens would know how to fight a demon-possessed kid after all.

Her eyes were drawn to another body as she gazed out from beneath her ANBU mask.

The infamous medic ninja Dokado. His body was covered by a bloodied sheet as he was carried out of the hospital.

Personally she did not care about the man's death, but she knew others would. You don't become the number one most successful surgeon without gaining some popularity.

What puzzled her was how the boy had been able to gain access to Kyuubi's chakra. The mission report she had been given stated that he did not know of the nine-tails imprisonment. Even if he did know about the demon, he shouldn't have been able to draw its chakra. The kid was six years old. Konoha didn't teach their children how to draw chakra until they were ten.

"Make sure the boy is immobile, and have someone bring him to the interrogation room back at Headquarters," Ryaki commanded the ANBU next to her.

The hawk-faced person gave a quick nod before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Ryaki turned on her heels and walked toward the front door, stepping over the many bodies that lay in her path. Pushing the door open, she walked out of the building into the bustling community of the Cloud.

She made her way out onto one of the back streets behind the hospital, weaving in and out of the civilians that walked down the roads. Most of them stopped to watch her go by. Some bowed and thanked her for her service to the village. It annoyed her to no end.

Instead of heading straight for the headquarters, she veered off into a deserted alleyway. Ryaki walked to the very back of the alley and stopped, as if waiting for someone.

"That was interesting wasn't it," a voice called out.

"Yes. So big a mess caused by such a little child," the same voice answered.

Ryaki got down on her knees, bowing her head. "What brings you here Zetsu-sama."

In front of her a man started to rise from the ground. A Venus-flytrap surrounded his head. The man's face was split into two colors; black and white. His eyes were yellow and pupil-less as they stared down at her.

"The boss told me to tell you to recruit the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. Isn't that right?" Zetsu told Ryaki.

"Yes," he answered himself. "The boss thinks that he would be of more use alive."

The man looked down at her as if waiting for her to question his orders.

"It will be done," Ryaki answered, bowing her head once again.

"Indeed," Zetsu said. "This may be your chance at becoming a full member of Akatsuki, Ryaki."

Ryaki nodded, "Who died?"

"No one," Zetsu answered.

"We can always kill someone if we want you to join," Zetsu spoke again after a short pause.

"Yes, our partner is getting troublesome isn't he?" Zetsu asked the question, seemingly to himself.

"Yes he is," Zetsu said, "This mission won't be complete until the boy is trained and has made contact with the boss. A six year old wouldn't be of much use to us."

"It will be done," Ryaki told Zetsu once again.

"Such a good girl," Zetsu spoke before slowly fading into the ground.

----------xXx----------

"You're dismissed," Ryaki told the two ANBU that were standing guard in the interrogation chamber of the ANBU Headquarters.

They nodded, disappearing in identical poofs of smoke moments later. Ryaki walked over to the metal chair that the Jinchuuriki was strapped into. The boy had gained consciousness sometime during her walk to the headquarters and her brief conversation with Zetsu.

She had thought that his demonic traits would have gone away once he had been knocked unconscious, but that was apparently a bad assumption on her part. The claws, fangs, whisker marks all remained. Hell, even the chakra remained, though not as corporeal as it had been hours before. Now to see if the Kyuubi was still in control…

Ryaki bent down until she was face to face with Uzumaki.

"So this is how the great Kyuubi no Youkai ends up. Strapped to a chair while inside a child's body. Interesting how some things turn out, isn't it?"

Metal rattled as the boy struggled to get loose from the chair. A chair that was attached with "chakra sucking" bindings. To put it bluntly, he did _not _succeed in escaping from his bindings this time around.

_Kyuubi…Check,_ she thought as she stood back up.

"I guess you probably won't be to surprised to here this," she started once the boy had calmed down, "but we'll be forced to kill you if keep control over the boy."

Naruto's eyes narrowed and he started to growl slightly.

"I'm sure you can see the reason in that. We can't have a demon running around our village after all."

"What do you want me to do then," Naruto started, his voice sounding nothing like his usual one. "I will not go back to living in that cage."

Ryaki smiled behind her mask. "No, of course not," she said. "That's not what I want you to do at all. But before I tell you what I want from you, tell me how you were able to gain control of the boy."

Naruto snorted at the demand. "Like I would tell a foolish human such as…"

He stopped talking when he felt the cold metal of a kunai against his jugular vein.

"Remember what I said about killing you, demon," Ryaki snarled. "Now tell me how you gained control of the boy."

Naruto stayed silent for a few moments, almost daring the ANBU to kill him.

"The eyes," he stated calmly. "When that idiot medic gave the boy the new eyes, I was able to draw from the chakra in them and dilate it with my own. That was enough of a catalyst to gain control over the rest of his body."

Ryaki nodded at the explanation. That made sense to her given what little knowledge of the Byakugan she had. She pulled her kunai away from his neck and asked another question.

"Is there anyway to change it back?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at her. "You mean, is there anyway for the eyes to work again?" Seeing her nod he continued, "Nope. There was a brief period while I was gaining control where I was able to use the bloodline, but I lost the ability after I was fully in control of the boy."

"Great," Ryaki muttered, "the Raikage isn't going to be happy about that."

Naruto gave what Ryaki interpreted as a shrug. It was hard to tell when the boy was bound to a chair.

"Not my problem," Naruto told the woman, "You humans will just have to deal with it."

Ryaki forced herself not to stab the kid. The demon was really starting to get on her nerves with the 'human' shit.

"Can you give the boy control again?" Ryaki asked after a few moments contemplation.

"Would I really tell you if I could?" Naruto asked, a smirk on his face.

Once again, Naruto found himself with a kunai pressed against his jugular. This time, however, it was pressed a lot harder into his skin.

Naruto laughed slightly. Humans were so temperamental. "Alright. Yes I can give the boy control of his body back, but he won't be the same as he was."

"What do you mean by that," Ryaki asked, removing the kunai once again.

"Everything you see now," he said, "stays. Except the chakra. I'll be able to regulate how much chakra I give the kid. I'll be able to see what he sees and hear what he hears; however, I will only be able to do these things when he is at high risk of dying. You could say it's a self-preservation instinct or something like that," He finished with a smirk. "Essentially he is in total control unless he's about to die."

Ryaki started to pace around the chair. "Good…Good…Now that we have that out of the way, I have a deal for you. This village intends to have you trained as a weapon."

Naruto snarled at the woman. "As much fun as that sounds, I don't think I'll…"

Ryaki dragged the tip of her kunai across his cheek, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

"Don't interrupt me, demon," she said as she continued her pacing. "As I said, this village intends for you to becoming a weapon for them. Normally I wouldn't care about this, but there is this organization that is _collecting_ bijuu. I am an affiliate of this organization. I think you can see what I'm hinting at. It would be detrimental for us if the boy were trained to become one of the best ninja to ever walk the planet. Plus, it would be a good impression for me if I was able to obtain the service of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. It may even get me into the organization instead of having to work on the sidelines."

Ryaki stopped pacing in front of the chair and looked down at the boy. "When they start to capture the Jinchuuriki, they are going to extract the demons from them. Basically the organization will do this to obtain power. However, a Jinchuuriki is likely to be a more valuable resource than the chakra of the demon."

Naruto grinned, "A demon catching other demons. How interesting."

"You would be one of the members subordinate at first," Ryaki told Naruto, causing him to frown. "Eventually, maybe you would be able to become a full member. So what is your choice? I can kill you right here, or you can pledge your loyalty to the organization and give control to the boy."

"As if I have any choice in the matter," Naruto muttered. "I'll do it. You'll be able to tell it's the boy by his eyes and voice. The eyes should turn lighter. Remember what I said about me being able to take control of the kid. Don't piss me off. You will regret it if you do."

Ryaki grinned, looking at the Jinchuuriki from behind her wolf-painted mask.

"I'll try not to," Ryaki informed him. "Now would you kindly give control back to Uzumaki.

Naruto nodded and closed his eyes. He waited a few moments before opening them again. His eyes were a lighter shade of crimson now, just like the Kyuubi had told her that they would be.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Ryaki said.

Naruto tried to stand up from his chair, but he soon remembered that he was bound to the chair. For the second time today he found that he was unable to move.

Ryaki continued, "I just had a conversation with…"

"I know," Naruto said angrily, cutting her off, "I saw and heard all of it."

Tears started to stream from his eyes as he struggled to cope with all that had happened to him recently. He had been kidnapped. He had killed innocent people today, and some not so innocent people. He was a murderer. A murder that had a demon inside of him.

Ryaki scowled as she watched the kid begin to cry. She would _not_ have her student cry over stupid things such as this. Walking over to the chair, Ryaki bent down and started to undo the bindings.

Once they were undone, Ryaki grabbed hold of Naruto's collar and threw him out of the chair onto the floor. A thud was heard followed by an enraged shout from Naruto.

"Hey! What was that for, bastard?"

Ryaki walked over to where Naruto lay on the ground, pointing at her with a growl on his face. The tears that streaked his face looked out of place next to the whisker marks and fangs. Very out of place indeed.

"If you heard the whole conversation, then you know that you have no choice but to do what I say, correct?"

Naruto nodded, sniffling as he did so.

Ryaki narrowed her eyes in disgust. She despised people that cried and complained about things that could not be changed. It was a habit she was going to very much enjoy breaking.

"Get up and stop your crying. I was ordered to take you to your room. Someone else will pick you up later to start your training," Ryaki told him, already heading for the door.

Naruto scrambled to his feet, wiping the tears from his face as he did so.

The Kyuubi watched through Naruto's eyes as the boy followed the ANBU that had interrogated him. He could wait if that's what he needed to do for freedom. He had waited six years already. Another few wouldn't hurt.

----------xXx----------

"Enter," the voice of the Raikage called out.

The door to his office opened and an ANBU walked into the room. He wore a bear-painted mask and standard ANBU armor. A katana was strapped onto his back. Short, brown hair hung over the top of his mask as he kneeled before the Raikage.

"I succeeded in planting the Hyuuga's head in the Hokage Tower in Konoha, Raikage-sama," the ANBU informed the Raikage.

"Excellent," the Raikage said, leaning back in his chair, "I assume you were not tailed."

The ANBU nodded as he stood back up. "Correct. I dressed myself as a Konoha hunter-nin and gave the girls head to the Hokage's secretary."

The Raikage opened a drawer in his desk. He searched through it for a moment before pulling out a thick envelope. Handing the envelope to the ANBU, the Raikage motioned for him to leave.

The ANBU took the envelope and with one last bow he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The Raikage stared into the cloud of smoke as if in a trance. His eyes glazed over as he attacked his mind for ideas of more things he could do to through Konoha off of Kumo's trail. After a few moments contemplation he shook his head in disappointment.

There was nothing else he could think of without making it obvious that some village was pinning the kidnapping on another village.

The gloves that he had placed on the ANBU he left in Konoha, and the quartz minerals that he had injected into the Hyuuga girls cuts. Those two things should be enough to make Konoha think that Iwa had taken both the Jinchuuriki and the Hyuuga.

He rubbed his weary eyes as he continued with the paperwork that lay in front of him. He would worry later.

The Raikage glanced up at the clock that was mounted above the room's door.

3:57 P.M.

Three minutes until he arrived, then.

The clock ticked slowly as the Raikage waited patiently for the three minutes to pass. Abruptly when the clock hand hit twelve on the clock a knock was heard on the door.

"Enter."

The door opened for the second time in the past ten minutes and a Kumo Jounin walked over the threshold into the office.

"Punctual as usually I see," the Raikage said indifferently.

The man seemed to feel awkward in his Jounin clothing. He kept pulling on his vest, and his pants were constantly being readjusted. His hand would dart to the side of his pants where he had concealed a kunai, reassuring himself that it was still there.

"Yes, Raikage-sama."

His voice was slightly cracked, seeming as though he had not used it in a long time. His face was unusually pale, and shadows could be seen under his eyes.

"Where is the boy?" the man questioned the Raikage, glancing around the room.

"He is at the ANBU Headquarters being interrogated at the moment. The boy caused a bit of a mess at the hospital this afternoon. It has given me a lot of paperwork as you can see," the Raikage informed the man, gesturing at the numerous piles of paper that adorned his wooden desk.

The man nodded, looking back at the door as he heard footsteps out in the hallway.

"Relax," the Raikage chuckled. "No one is going to be after your head here."

"I know, Raikage-sama," the man answered, but never-the-less his hand drifted toward the pouch that housed his senbon needles. "I saw the death toll. It was quite a number considering that it was caused by a child."

"Yes it was. But he isn't that ordinary of a boy is he?"

The man shook his head. He had read the file on the boy. Kyuubi. Byakuugan. Unusually high chakra levels. The kid had it made as a ninja.

"I suppose you would like to inspect the boy?" the Raikage asked the man.

"Very much so, Raikage-sama."

"I believed as much."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Fairly quick and large update. Ryaki is not a full member of Akatsuki at the moment if any of you didn't see that. She is a subordinate of Zetsu. Expect the next update sometime this weekend. No promises, but I will try to get it to you by then.

Thanks for reading. Hope you liked it. Reviews are aprreciated.


	3. The New Home

**Demonic Days  
**_By Wild Thing8_

Summary: Kumo kidnapped Naruto during the treaty signing. Two jinchuriki are a their dipsosal. Will Kumo become the next great power among the Shinobi nations, or will their weapons fail them? After all...who can trust a demon?

Rating: M for violence, gore, horror, and language.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

_**Chapter Three:**_ The New Home

* * *

Naruto waited for a moment as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the tunnel he was in. He was actually more than likely to be in a sewer if one went by the water that was covering the floor. A steady dripping noise echoed throughout the dark passageway, the only sound that could be heard by his young ears.

A new sound joined the dripping as Naruto started to walk through the water. He was trembling; a whimpering noise came from his mouth at random intervals. His mind was racing through all of the things that could happen to him down here. Starvation was currently on the top of that particular list.

As he walked, Naruto glanced around at his surroundings. Pipes ran across the ceiling of the tunnel and continued to do so for as far as he could see. The water that he was walking through came up to his ankles, never lower, never higher.

In the distance Naruto could see a pinprick of light. He started to pick up his pace, walking faster than he had moments before. Soon enough he was running as fast as his legs would carry him. His breathing became slightly more labored, and sweat started to cover his body. His legs began to burn as he ran…and ran…and ran.

The pinprick of light grew no larger.

A splash sounded throughout the passageway as Naruto fell to the ground in distress. Sobs were soon to follow as all hope of getting out of the hallway left him. For nearly ten minutes Naruto lay there, crying until he could cry no longer.

He was so caught up in his despair that he did not notice the changes that were slowly taking place to his surroundings. Water sloshed as the walls spread apart. The ceiling rose up until it could not be seen. Bars appeared out of nowhere, keeping who knows what away from the weeping form of Naruto.

And Naruto was still oblivious to the silent changes.

The sound of laughing began to echo through the newly-created chamber. Naruto froze when the sounds reached his ears. Slowly, he began to stand up, taking in his new surroundings. He turned to face the bars and, then, started to back away from them. His tear-streaked glistened as an eerie red light filtered into the chamber.

Naruto slipped in the water as he turned to run away from the gigantic prison. He stumbled his way across the room, only to find that a stone wall barred the way. Frantically, Naruto spun around, searching for some exit where he could escape through.

There was nothing.

He dropped to his knees and started to cry once again. For a few moments he was like this, his face in his hands and anguished gasps raking his body. And then it all stopped.

Naruto's body became still. His eyes lost their fear as he stood up from his crouched position on the floor. His face showed no emotion when he began to walk toward the large, golden bars. A swipe of his sleeve, and the tears were gone from his face.

A splash sounded through the room as Naruto kneeled down in front of the cage. Bowing his head, Naruto spoke words that normally would never come from his mouth.

"What is it that you wish of me, Kyuubi-sama?"

Another laugh came from inside the prison. It grew louder and louder as seconds ticked away. It stopped when a pair of red eyes appeared in Naruto's vision. Very large, red eyes to be specific.

"You are obviously wondering why you cannot control you're body. Am I correct?" a voice growled from behind the bars.

Naruto showed no physical or vocal response to the question, merely keeping his head bowed in the presence of the Kyuubi.

The Kyuubi spoke again, hardly giving Naruto time to respond even if the boy had been able to.

"You see," the voice came from within the prison, "This is my _mind _that you currently inhabit. It's not exactly a mind per se, but more of a living arrangement. Whichever way you want to think of it, I have control over you. Like in a dream. Since this is my 'mind' I can control whatever aspects of the dream that I wish."

The Kyuubi stopped talking and came closer to the bars. His teeth were now visible to Naruto. They glistened in the red light that somehow filled the room.

"And you, Uzumaki Naruto, are part of my dream."

Another bout of laughter echoed through the chamber as the Kyuubi continued to stare at the kneeling boy.

"If you don't believe me despite you actions, I'll give you another example," the Kyuubi continued.

Next to Naruto a katana started to appear out of no where. One second it wasn't there, another it was.

Naruto stood up and grabbed the handle of the blade. Glancing up at the demon in front of him, he raised his sword.

To his own throat…

"See what I mean?" the Kyuubi laughed as Naruto pressed the blade harder into his neck, drawing blood. "Don't worry though. I won't kill you."

The blade disappeared from Naruto's hand, and he dropped back down into his previous kneeling position.

"No, I won't kill you," the Kyuubi went on, "I have a better use for you."

Naruto lowered his head.

"What is it you wish of me, Kyuubi-sama?"

----------xXx----------

"This is the boy you want me to teach?" a man in a Kumo Jounin vest asked the Raikage incredulously.

The Raikage raised an eyebrow at the man that stood next to him.

"Yes," he answered, "Of course, if you have a problem…"

The man shook his head quickly. His hand snaked up to his forehead, readjusting the forehead protector that he wore. He tugged it away from his face, and scratched the sweaty skin that had previously been hidden.

"I forgot how much I hate these things," the man muttered as he set the forehead protector back in place.

"I am sure you'll get used to it," the Raikage replied before turning his attention back to the viewing window.

Inside the room they were observing, a boy was lying in his bed unmoving. He had been staring at the ceiling for hours they had been told. Apparently he had some sort of fit, and then when he settled down he had just lain like this.

It was odd to say the least.

The boy was covered in sweat, and his limbs were tangled in the bed sheets.

"He seems so…lazy," the man told the Raikage. "Didn't the reports say that he was usually extremely energetic?"

The Raikage nodded in answer to the man's question. He was confused as well. According to every report he had received on the boy, the kid hardly ever stayed still.

"It must be in someway related to the incidents of this morning," the Raikage finally answered.

The man nodded as he traced the handle of the kunai on his belt with his finger. He stayed like that for a moment, gazing through the glass at the comatose form of Naruto. He looked behind him as he heard a door slam behind him, pulling the kunai off his belt as he did so. A few seconds later, the kunai was returned to the belt.

"Where do you want me to meet him?" the man asked as he glanced over at the Raikage.

"ANBU training ground 7. Be there a six o'clock tomorrow morning," the Raikage answered. "I am sure you know where it is?"

"Of course, Raikage-sama," the man said as he gave a short nod, disappearing in a cloud of smoke moments later.

The Raikage turned his attention back to Naruto. Sighing, he turned his attention away from the boy and headed for the door. There was still one other person that he needed to contact regarding Naruto.

-----------xXx----------

"I still don't see the reason for you asking me to do this, Raikage-sama," said a tall man sitting across from the Raikage.

He sat in a wooden chair, arms behind his head as he raised an eyebrow at the leader of his village. The man had brown hair that had started to turn gray in some spots. His face had many scars, and there were bags under his gray eyes.

He wore a simple outfit. Blue pants with holes in the knees and frayed edges, indicating that he had owned them for a long time. A white shirt, stained with many different colors, adorned his torso. A Kumo forehead protector was wrapped tightly around his shoulder.

"I have told you already," the Raikage replied irately, "I need you to train the boy in Ninjutsu."

"And there are no other choices for this job?" the man asked.

"No other person would be able to teach the boy as well as you could," the Raikage informed him.

"I have never taught before," the man said. "What makes you think I would be the best choice?"

The Raikage laughed, gesturing toward the many scrolls that were scattered around the room. Shelves upon shelves of them covered the walls. Tabletops were covered with stacks of dusty scrolls. Bottles of ink and other writing utensils littered a table near the corner of the room.

"These were all written by you, were they not?" the Raikage asked the man.

"Most of them," the man replied with a hint of pride in his voice. "A few are family scrolls though. I have made a point of keeping the ones I could."

The Raikage nodded as he stood up from his chair. "You will be perfect for the job then," he said, walking toward the door. "Not everyone can create over seven hundred jutsu in less than two decades."

With that he was out the door, leaving the brown and gray haired man by himself.

The man stayed seated for a moment, eyeing the door that the Raikage had just exited. After a few minutes he stood up and walked over to the desk in the corner of the room. Picking up a pen and dipping it in an open bottle of ink, the man started writing on the scroll that occupied the desk.

"It will be interesting at the very least," he muttered, not taking his attention away from the scroll.

----------xXx----------

A twitch of the hand. A movement of the head. A flick of the eyelids.

These were the movements of Uzumaki Naruto as he came back to the land of the living. A groan escaped his lips as he opened his eyes, only to be met with the vicious glare of the light above him. Squeezing his eyes shut, Naruto rolled over so that his face was pressed against his pillow.

A few moments passed in silence before Naruto started to move again. This time he opened his eyes slowly, letting them adjust to the brightness of the room.

Looking around, Naruto saw nothing out of the ordinary. White walls, a dresser and a desk, an open door that led into a bathroom, a light here and there, and the bed he was currently laying in. All luxuries he had not previously had, but nothing that struck him as odd.

He stood up from the bed, wobbling on his feet for a moment as he struggled to his balance. Once he was sure that he was not going to fall any time soon, Naruto headed toward the bathroom.

The sound of rushing water filled the room when Naruto turned the faucet on. He cupped his hands together and stuck them under the water. He then splashed the gathered water on his face, hiding streaks of tears that had previously been there.

Looking up at the mirror, Naruto gazed at himself. Just as the Kyuubi had said, the changes were still there. The red eyes. The wilder hair. The more pronounced whisker marks and canine teeth. None of it had changed back to normal.

New tears streamed down his face as he continued to look at himself. He wiped them away furiously with his sleeve. It was at this time that he noticed his new attire. Before, he had been too caught up in the changes of his face to notice the clothing.

The clothes were nothing special; a blue, long-sleeved shirt underneath a sleeveless white one, and blue sweatpants. They were nice though, compared to his previous clothing. His jumpsuit had been second hand, but these clothes seemed brand new.

He exited the bathroom and sat down on the edge of his bed, his thoughts turning to the one-sided conversation he had with the Kyuubi.

_You obey me, and I will let you live._

Those had been the first words spoken to him after the Kyuubi had explained why he could not control his body.

He did not have much choice but to obey the demon anyway. If he went against what the Kyuubi told him to do, the Kyuubi would instantly know. However, if he went against the people that had kidnapped him, there was a chance they wouldn't find out. If he did it secretly that is.

Naruto's head snapped up when he heard a door being opened. He glanced at the doorway, taking in the sight of the figure that stood before him.

The person wore a chameleon mask and a dark blue cloak. A katana was strapped to his back, and Naruto could see a kunai holster when the person's cloak opened slightly.

"Uzumaki Naruto," the person, by the sound of the voice, a male, said. "The Raikage has ordered me to escort you to his office. Please follow me."

Without waiting for an answer, the man walked out of the room, leaving Naruto to scramble to catch up. He reached the man's side quickly enough and was soon gazing around in wonder at the décor of the hallway.

Paintings of battles, ninja, warriors, and many other things were hung on the walls. Swords and shields also decorated the blue-painted walls. Wooden doors were placed at various places along the corridor.

The man led Naruto through these halls and down a flight of stairs. He then led Naruto to the entrance of the building, giving Naruto his first view of his new home.

It did not affect him as much as he thought it would. The village was similar to Konoha. Shops and stalls surrounded a central area in which people partook in their daily activities of shopping, gossiping, eating, and relaxing. The only difference that Naruto had seen so far was the design of the buildings.

Instead of the light brown colored buildings that occupied the streets of Konoha, the buildings were a darker brown. They were shaped differently as well; more circular than the ones in his previous village.

It seemed as though he would quickly be able to get used to living here.

Naruto followed the ANBU through the doors leading into the largest building he had seen so far. It must have been nearly three times as large as the others outside.

The pair walked in silence for a few more minutes, passing various people that were wandering the halls. A few looked up as they passed by. Others ignored them completely, choosing, instead, to continue what they had been doing before the duo had arrived. None, however, greeted them.

Naruto did not receive any disdainful glances from the men and women working in the building. A few looks of fear and a few of awe, but none of the distrustful looks he received in Konoha.

Maybe things were better here.

A few of Kyuubi's words from his encounter with the demon echoed through his head at that time, cutting off all thoughts he had about spending a happy life here.

_They will use you. They will try to make you a slave to them. But you belong to me. Do not forget that._

Naruto tried to keep those thoughts from his mind, but the more he tried, the more defined they seemed to become in his memories.

He had no more time to ponder on the conversation with the Kyuubi though. It seemed as though they had reached their destination.

An elaborate door stood before the two. Gold patterns were engraved across the polished, wood surface. Diamonds, aligned in the shape of the Kumo symbol were placed at the top of the door.

The ANBU knocked as Naruto waited, shifting his wait from one foot to the other.

"Who is it?" a voice called out from inside the room.

"ANBU escort of Uzumaki Naruto," the ANBU spoke up.

"Bring him in," the voice rang out, this time more relaxed than it had been before.

The ANBU pushed the door open and shoved Naruto inside. With a bang the door shut behind him, and the ANBU was gone. Shaking his head, Naruto turned his attention to the people in the room.

The woman that had interrogated him earlier was standing next to a window. Her arms were crossed, and her ANBU mask hung on her belt. She was looking out the window. From his position Naruto could vaguely make out the shopping area he had passed through earlier.

The woman looked up at him as the door shut, studying him. After a moment her attention was turned back to the city below.

Naruto shifted his gaze to the man standing next to the woman. He wore a white shirt, blotted with many colors as if it had not been washed in many days. Equally grungy blue-jeans clothed the man.

The man stared intently at Naruto, his gray eyes not moving from the boys face.

Behind an elaborate desk, a man sat, wearing clothing that vaguely resembled the Hokage's. No hat adorned his head, but the robes that he wore were in a similar style to the old man's, just different colors.

One other man occupied the office. He wore a blue Jounin vest and standard Jounin clothing. A forehead protector held up his black bangs. The man looked similar to many of the ninja that worked for Konoha, but, like the man sitting behind the desk, his clothing colors were different.

"Welcome, Uzumaki Naruto," the man behind the desk said. "Sit down. We have much to discuss."

Naruto took the seat that was offered to him. A wooden armchair like the one he had sat in whenever he had visited the Hokage's office.

"You are most obviously distressed over the events of the last few days," the robed man said, looking up at Naruto.

Naruto shrugged at the man's implied question. He felt alright. Not the best he had ever been, but physically he seemed fine. Mentally however…

"Alright I guess," Naruto said, his voice cracking from lack of frequent use. He cleared his throat and asked, "Who are you?"

The man behind the desk smiled at the question. A smile that Naruto could see was not genuine.

"A good question," the man stated, folding his hands on top of the desk. "I am the Raikage, leader of Kumogakure. I believe you have someone like me in Konoha?"

Naruto nodded, his eyes glinting with anger as he did so. This was the man that had ordered his kidnapping. How interesting.

"You kidnapped me," Naruto stated. No anger was behind those words; no fear.

"Yes, we did. I am sorry to tell you that we will not be returning you either. You are too valuable to let go of."

If Naruto was truthful with himself, he would know that he had come to terms that he would most likely never return to his home. And to be honest, he didn't really care. So he shrugged again.

"What did you want to tell me," Naruto asked, his eyes never leaving the man's face.

----------xXx----------

Far away, in an office very similar to the one Naruto was in, the Hokage was deciding what to do concerning the kidnap of Uzumaki Naruto, and the kidnap and murder of Hyuuga Hinata.

In front of his desk sat two of his most trusted advisors, and one not so trusted advisor.

Koharu and Homura.

Both had been his Genin teammates in their youth. They had stuck with him through the Shinobi Wars, giving him advice when he needed it. He just hoped he they would be able to help him now. Danzou however…

"ROOT will be reactivated immediately of course," the scarred man said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You will need them if you intend to invade Iwa. They are not to be taken lightly."

"Sit down!" Koharu snapped at the man. "Has Hokage-sama once said that he intended to go to war against Iwa? We aren't even positive that it was Iwa that kidnapped the two children."

"Not sure!" Danzou yelled at the old woman. "The gloves are clearly of Rock make, and no other Village uses quartz in their weapons like the minerals we found in the Hyuuga's face."

"They were wearing the ANBU uniforms of Kumo," Hamura interrupted.

Danzou scoffed, "A typical diversionary tactic. All ANBU do it when they enter an enemy Village. It is used to keep suspicion off of one's Village."

"Hokage-sama, please ignore this fool," Koharu told the Hokage. "He speaks nonsense."

"Nonsense?" Danzou interrupted, "Is that what you will call it when Hiashi is told of his daughter's murder? Do you really expect him to sit down and not do anything? He will push for war, and he has a large amount of influence."

Danzou stood up from his seat, offering only one more comment to the other three in the room, "Inform me when you have approved the reactivation of ROOT."

The room echoed with his footsteps as he headed for the door.

"Sarutobi, you aren't going to go to war over that boy are you?" Hamura asked, "You must think of the village in this situation. What happened to the Hyuuga is terrible, yes, but what's done is done. The boy alone is not something to risk the safety of the village over."

Sarutobi sighed, rubbing his temples to try and alleviate the headache that was making itself present.

"I believe," Sarutobi started, "that it would be best if we sent an ANBU squad to Iwa. If they do not let our ANBU look for the boy, then I am going to consider going to war with them. That is my decision. Please do not question it."

Hearing the implied dismissal, the two council members stood up and headed for the door. Hamura spoke a few last words before leaving the room.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Sarutobi."

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

* * *

Took me a while to get this chapter out. Sorry 'bout that. I've had a lot going on, and this chapter wasn't easy for me to write anyway. Hope you like it.

Reviews inspire me to write more. So please, if you have the time, review. It really does inspire me to write quicker. (Yea, call me a review whore if you want. I don't care.)


	4. The Day Before

**Demonic Days**

-:-

_By: Wild Thing8_

* * *

A Naruto Fanfiction.

* * *

Summary: Kumo kidnapped Naruto during the treaty signing. Two Jinchuriki are at their disposal. Will Kumo become the next great power amongst the Shinobi nations, or will their weapons fail them? After all...who can trust a demon? 

-:-

Rating: M for violence, gore, horror, and language.

-:-

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

_**Chapter Four:**_ The Day Before

* * *

"Sir, this letter was left for you a few hours after you left," a hotel clerk told the white-haired man that had just entered the building. 

"Thanks," the man said, grabbing the letter with a wet and muddy hand.

The woman stared in disgust at the hand and at the rest of the man. He was a mess, something that would not be tolerated by the establishment he was currently living in.

It was not just the man that was dirty. A trail of mud and water trailed behind the man as he walked away from the front desk, heading for the room he had rented a few nights ago.

The woman shook her head in annoyance. The man had paid extra for the room he had rented, asking in return that he not be disturbed by anyone while he was there. As the hotel staff had soon found out, berating him over the messes he made was included under that category.

The said man was at that moment walking up the stairs to his third floor room. It was nothing special. Just an ordinary, run-of-the-mill hotel room, something that he believed that one would not believe him to stay in. What with his legendary status.

He pushed the door, labeled _Room 48_, open and walked into his current place of residence. He had been to over fifty different places in the past year alone, the whole time spent gathering information for his leader and doing what he could to track down his traitorous teammate, Orichimaru. As surprising as it was, he had not had any success on that latter task.

A creak broke the silence of the room as the man sat down on his bed. This noise was followed by a ripping sound when he tore open the letter he had just received. He tossed the envelope onto the floor, not bothering to keep the room clean. After all, that was what room service was for.

The white haired man stared down at the letter in his hands, the frown on his face becoming more pronounced as he read the short letter.

_J, _

_The fox is on the move._

_S. _

The now identified 'J' wiped his dirty palm across his face, covering the red marks that adorned his cheeks with mud.

The old man didn't give him a break did he? It had been nearly seven years since he had left the village, and yet the guy still had jobs for him. He wondered if he had been having Tsunade do any work while she was away.

Knowing her, probably not…

Oh well, that's what you get for pledging your eternal allegiance to someone.

The man stood up off the bed with a sigh. He walked into the room's bathroom and turned on the shower.

An hour later the white haired man was out of the shower, dressed, and on the road. He had checked out of the hospital a few moments ago and was currently on the way to the exit of the city he had been staying in.

It had been a pleasant stay. The city was close to Konoha, so a few of the occupants had felt a sense of duty to treat one of the Legendary Sannin as best they could.

A duty to which he had no objections.

Unfortunately that type of life would be over for a while.

The person his student had been interested in at the time of his death could only mean the Kyuubi prison. If someone had truly taken the boy, the Leaf would be in one hell of a problem.

With that thought, the man unconsciously sped up his pace. It was two days journey to the Leaf.

He would make it one.

----------xXx---------

_Ten Years Later_

"The target is in range," a female voice whispered into sixteen-year-old Uzumaki Naruto's ear. "Commence the attack…now!"

The whistling of air was the only sound that was made as the Cloud ninja shot through the air towards his target. As he flew through the air he pulled to kunai out of his weapons pouch, readying himself to kill the overweight man that sat in the forest clearing.

He landed with a soft _thud_ and continued to sprint toward the target even as explosions went off around him. Three ninja surrounded the target. They were Jounin, hired by the Village of the Moon to protect the man, Michiru, from any threat that appeared.

As he grew closer he analyzed the three men. The one on the left was a kenjutsu user, if one went by the sword in his hand. The middle guy was most likely more ninjutsu prone then anything else. The way his hands were flashing through handseals could attest to that. The last was hard to place, but Naruto decided that he was most likely a ninjutsu user as well.

Naruto jumped into the air as spike shot out of the earth, nearly impaling him. He grabbed hold of a tree limb and flipped himself on to it, the spike passing harmlessly by him.

His hands flashed through a set of handseals while he remained hidden behind the spike.

"**Inbijiru**," he whispered as he finished the last handseal.

Nothing seemed to happen as Naruto stayed squatted in the tree, listening to the explosions and sounds of fighting that were going on below.

He jumped from his spot on the tree just as a stream of mud, shaped in the form of a dragon, flew past the spot he was previously crouching in.

As he glided through the air, Naruto watched as his body parts slowly became translucent before becoming completely invisible.

_Excellent._

He landed silently, chakra flowing out of his feet so that he hovered slightly above the ground. The three ninja that were guarding Michiru were looking around in confusion, wondering where there attacker had gone.

Without wasting anymore time, Naruto shot forward, his kunai poised to kill the four men.

He killed the first man with ease, slicing through his throat unimpeded. The second went down easily enough. A kunai to the back of the skull took care of that. The third, however, seemed to have sensed his genjutsu and canceled it.

A clang echoed quietly around the clearing. The man's face glistened with sweat as he held Naruto's kunai with his own, inches away from his throat.

Michiru kneeled behind the man, quivering in fear, tears flowing from his eyes as he watched the two in horror.

Naruto flipped backwards, his right foot slamming into the man's chin as he did so. He pushed off with his arms as his hands touched the ground and landed silently a few meters back.

The lone ninja that remained guarding the fat prince stumbled back a few feet, but quickly regained his balance.

Naruto's hands flashed through more seals before the man had time to retaliate. The sounds of the battle around them had quieted, signaling that his partner had finished her job.

"**Hiramekki no Justu,**" Naruto said calmly.

A flash of light burst from Naruto, temporarily blinding those who had not closed their eyes quick enough.

The light lasted for about ten seconds. In that time to thuds were hear, one louder than the other.

As the jutsu ended, Naruto's smiled behind his mask at the sight that met him.

His partner, Yugito, stood over the two men's bodies with a smirk on her face, blood dripping from her clawed fingers. She wore a white, short-sleeved shirt with black shoulders, and a pair of black pants. Her arms were bandaged, and beads were twisted around them as well. A hunter-nin mask, the Cloud symbol etched into its forehead, adorned her face. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail that ended near her waist.

Naruto flipped on his COM link, and spoke into the speaker. "The target has been eliminated."

A few moments passed before the man on the other end of the line replied. "Recorded. You may proceed home."

"Affirmative."

Naruto walked over to Yugito after the connection had been shut off. She stood over Michiru's body, rummaging through his pockets for loose cash and any valuables that he may have on him.

"This is not the type of mission you are usually assigned," he said, breaking the silence that had made itself present.

Yugito did not look up from the body, instead opting to toss the man's wallet to Naruto. She looked through the pockets for a few more minutes before giving up her search and standing up.

"No, it's not," she replied. "But you know that they want us to work together every once in a while. Something about building up communication between us during battles."

Naruto nodded slightly, eyeing the wallet that he held in his hand. "You don't want any of this?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

In response, Yugito shook her pocket, a soft jingling sound coming from it. She bent down once more, pulling a dagger from her belt as she did so.

It was not a fancy dagger; no fancy jewels or designs adorned it. The only thing that stood out on it was the small number etched into the bottom of the blade, just above the hilt.

From what he had learned from the woman, the number was assigned to her when she had become a hunter-nin. It was something like an I.D. as far as he could tell.

Yugito snapped her wrist, the dagger slicing through Michiru's neck as she did so. Blood spurted from the man's neck as she stood back up. Pulling out a scroll, Yugito sealed the head away.

Naruto put his hands in the tiger handseal and glanced down at Michiru's decapitated body. A moment later the man's body erupted in flames. Within minutes only ash remained where the large man's body once was.

A few thousand meters away from the clearing, Naruto and Yugito were sprinting side-by-side along the tree branches. Naruto was hidden from sight by shadows and genjutsu, but Yugito had opted to remain in plain sight as they raced back to their village.

"You will be seen that way," Naruto's voice seemed to come from nowhere.

Yugito made no attempt to hide herself or even acknowledge Naruto.

"You tell me that every time we go on a mission, Naruto. I am not as great at stealth as you are, and I see no point in hiding myself. Just drop it," Yugito voiced back.

"Of course," Naruto replied after a short pause.

It took the two about four hours to make their way back to Kumogakure. When they arrived, they immediately headed for the Raikage's office.

The city was nearly empty as the two walked quietly through the darkened streets of Kumo on their way to the Kage building. An occasional late-night walker or drunk could be seen, wandering around the streets, illuminated only by the lamps that were placed every few meters along the roads.

The pair's eyes were assaulted with light as they enter the building, a bell chiming loudly when the door opened.

A grunt sounded from behind a desk that was placed off to the side of the doors. A man blearily looked up at the pair before waving them on. As they passed by the man leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Naruto wrinkled his nose in disgust at the man's actions. The security in this place was atrocious.

It took the pair only a minute or so to reach the elaborately designed door of the Raikage's office.

Naruto knocked on the door and answered the question of 'Who is it?' before turning the handle and pushing the door open.

The Raikage sat behind his wooden desk, a paper in front of him and a pen in hand. His eyes had bags under them, and he was constantly rubbing them with his free hand. The man's shoulder's seemed slouched as he scribbled away at the paper in front of him.

"The mission was successful," the Raikage stated without looking up from his paper.

"Yes, Raikage-sama," Yugito answered the man quickly. "Here is the man's head."

She pulled the scroll from the pouch on her waist and placed it on the edge of his desk.

"We were met with little resistance," Naruto continued as Yugito stepped back in line with him. "The ninja that I battled were from Iwa. They were all relatively weak Jounin."

"The men I took out were the same," Yugito continued. "Their caravan was relatively easy to find as well. We killed Michiru's son before we killed him. He has an ex-wife that lives somewhere on the borders of the Fire Country, but the mission requirements never said anything about killing her."

The Raikage set his pen down on the desk. He leaned back in his chair, a weary sigh escaping his lips as he did so. After a moment he rummaged through one of the desk's drawers and pulled out two slips of paper. Picking the pen back up, he wrote something on both slips.

"Here is your pay," the Raikage said, handing each of them a slip. "You did well. I expect you both will be ready for another mission in a couple of days?"

They both nodded, though Naruto's nod seemed a little stiff.

"Good. Then you are both dismissed."

The pair walked from the room in silence, neither saying a word to each other as they made their way out of the building. They walked past the snoring guard, not bothering to check if he had woken when they walked out of the door.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Yugito said as she started the walk back to her apartment.

"Yeah," Naruto replied quietly, in an almost regretful voice, "see you."

He turned and started to walk back to the ANBU Headquarters. All ANBU were permitted to live outside of the headquarters, but Naruto had decided early on in life that he preferred to live with the other ANBU. There was no particular reason for this other than the fact that he did not have to pay rent.

In the few minutes that it took him to reach the building, Naruto reflected on the mission that he had just completed. Analyzing it in his mind. Finding out what he could have done differently that would have improved his performance.

Risei had taught him to do this early on in his training. He had explained that there was always something that you could improve on; sometimes you just had to look for it. Naruto had taken the words to heart. The man was almost an idol to him.

Risei had been an ANBU Captain for almost eight years before he had returned to Jounin status so that he would have time to train Naruto. He had been responsible for teaching Naruto Taijutsu and how to wield various weapons. Other things had been taught as well, but none were as important as the previous mentioned ones.

Naruto stopped for a moment as he reached the door that led into the ANBU Headquarters. Near silent beeps broke through the nighttime silence as Naruto punched in the entrance code into the keypad. After he finished, a louder beep sounded as the keypad flashed red, and the door cracked open.

Naruto wasted no time on his way back to his room. It was nearly midnight, and tomorrow was an important day. Ryaki would not be happy with him if he was too exhausted for tomorrow's event.

He was in his bed only minutes later, clothes and equipment left on the floor of his small apartment.

Naruto did not flinch as he felt someone lying next to him in the bed. He knew only one person that would have been able to stay undetected from him when they were in such close proximity.

"Good evening, Ryaki-sama," Naruto muttered tiredly as he turned his head to look at the woman.

"You do remember what is going to happen tomorrow, correct?" the woman questioned.

Naruto nodded at the question. "Of course I do. This has been planned for a while now."

"Good. You will attend your training like you normally do. At ten o'clock at night you will meet me on the outskirts of the village."

"I understand, Ryaki-sama," Naruto said, stifling a yawn.

Ryaki gave Naruto one last look before she disappeared, leaving Naruto alone in the room.

It would take Naruto another hour before he fell asleep.

--------xXx---------

Light filtered through the blinds that covered the lone window in Naruto's apartment. His eyes flickered open moments later. He lay like that for a moment, listening to the birds chirping outside on the trees that surrounded the building.

Throwing the sheets off of himself, Naruto slid out of his bed. He walked into the bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth before getting dressed. He wore the same thing that he did almost everyday. The ANBU armor and clothing was washed and folded on his desk as it always was in the morning. Just another benefit of living at the headquarters.

The outfit consisted of long pants, a sleeveless shirt, sleeves that were cut off just above the elbows, gloves, and shinobi sandals. All of these things were in the traditional Kumo color, dark blue. On top of the clothing he wore the standard ANBU chest plate and bracers.

The mask he fit over his face was painted and shaped to resemble a falcon. The animal was assigned to him when he had officially been named an ANBU member.

He left the room quickly, locking the door behind him. It was already almost seven, and his first training session started at that time. Sousha would not be pleased if he were late. The man was one of those people that did not tolerate lateness.

It was a short trip to the training ground that he worked at. The place was only a few hundred meters away from Headquarters. It consisted of a large clearing, mostly empty except for the few training posts and dummies that occupied one side of the area. A large pond could be seen on the opposite side of the training ground.

As usual Sousha was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the clearing, scrolls scattered around him. His blue pants and white shirt looked as dirty as ever, and his brown hair seemed to have gone even grayer during Naruto's absence.

Sousha looked up when Naruto arrived next to the man. Quietly, he rolled up the scroll he had been writing in and stood up.

"Good, you're on time," the man said. "Which of my techniques did you use while you were gone?"

Naruto answered after a moment of thought. "Hiramekki and Kaziendo," he said.

"Only two?" Sousha asked incredulously. "What situations did you use them in?"

"I used Hiramekki during a fight and Kaziendo during a nighttime assassination," Naruto answered.

Sousha nodded his head slowly before saying, "Kaziendo was meant for large scale battles."

"I know," Naruto replied. "The kid had a tiger with him, and that was the first technique I could think of that would keep the thing from moving."

Sousha quirked an eyebrow at Naruto. "A tiger?"

Naruto shrugged as he answered the question. "It was an odd family."

Sousha glanced once more at Naruto before gathering up all of his scrolls. He made a handseal, using a jutsu that caused the scrolls to disappear.

"Today we'll be working on the Houtei," Sousha said. "I presume you've got the basics down?"

Naruto nodded, his hands flashing through a series of handseals.

"**Katon: Houtei no Jutsu**," he muttered as he reached the last handseal, his eyes focusing on a spot in the air not far from the lake.

Slowly, a plume of fire seemed to form out of midair in the spot that Naruto had been concentrated on. The fire lasted for only a few seconds before dissipating.

"Good, but you need to work on it," Sousha told Naruto. "Once you are skilled enough with the technique the fire will appear instantly. It will not take time for it to spread into its largest form, which should be around the size of your Gōkakyū when you have mastered it. Now try it again."

They continued like that for another three hours, alternating every hour to another technique.

Over his ten years of training with Sousha, Naruto had mastered close to sixty techniques. He knew more, but none of those was he as well-versed at.

The pair had learned early on in Naruto's training that the boy had a wind affinity. It had taken them several years longer to find out that he was also pretty efficient with fire techniques as well. Of course, Sousha had been the one to figure it out.

Sousha was a genius, plain and simple. Naruto knew quite a lot of techniques, but Sousha knew thousands of them of them. The most amazing part about it was that he had created most of the techniques he knew. Naruto was honored to learn from the man.

When the three hours were over, Naruto bid Sousha farewell and made sat down against one of the training logs, waiting for Risei to arrive for his next training session. He lifted his mask up and wiped the sweat from his face. The one problem he had with Kumo was the weather. No matter what time of year, it was always humid.

A _poofing_ noise signaled the arrival of Risei.

"Hello," the man said quietly. "Are you ready?"

Naruto wasted no time in getting into his Taijutsu stance, kunai appearing in both of his hands with a flick of a wrist. He raised his left arm in front of himself, his forearm parallel with his chest. The other arm was held out straight to his side, the blade of the kunai pointing behind him. Naruto's legs were bent slightly, and they were tensed as he eyed the Jounin in front of him.

They staid like that for a moment, Risei standing nonchalantly while Naruto stood tensed. Then, without warning, Naruto shot forward, his body a blur as he sprinted toward Risei. His right arm swung in an arch, slicing toward the man's throat. It was blocked almost effortlessly by a kunai that had suddenly appeared in Risei's hand.

Naruto spun around, his left arm swinging the kunai to just below the man's left kneecap.

Risei avoided the blade by hopping over it, kicking his right leg at Naruto's stomach as he did so.

Naruto leaned backwards to avoid that kick. Another kick from Risei sent Naruto to the ground as his legs were swept out from under him. Naruto rolled to the side to a kunai that was headed for his face. The kunai hit the ground where his head had been moments earlier as he jumped to his feet and took his stance one again.

The fight lasted an hour longer.

Naruto had lost.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

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Same length chapter that I usually write. Sorry that it took so long to get out. I've been busy with finals coming up, and I have not had that much time to write. The time skip might seem a bit unnecessary, but I didn't see the need to write ten years of Naruto's life, especially when they are mostly unimportant to the story. I will refer back to anything that I feel is important.

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Jutsu List:

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**Inbijirru: **A genjutsu that allows the user to become invisible for a short span of time. 

**Hiramekki no Jutsu**: Literally "Flash Technique." Causes a flash of light that may blind the target if they are caught unaware.

**Kaziendo**: "Wind Bind Technique." Uses the air surrounding something to slow the thing down.

**Katon: Houtei no Jutsu**: "Air Fire Technique." Uses the oxygen in the air to create a fire.

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Review…Or else.

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